Process for erecting forms and apparatus for casting concrete walls



April 3, 1928. 1,664,884,

' O. A. HOLLIS PROCESS FOR ERECTING FORMS AND APPARATUS FOR CASTINGCONCRETE WALLS Filed June 18. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Q}/ i 1 3 5 l i 3a., 3 Egg 7 A V A TTORNEY April 3, 1928.

O. A. HOLLIS PROCESS- FOR ERECTING FORMS AND APPARATUS FOR CASTINGCONCRETE WALLS Filed June 18. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I :NVEIYTOR. mg wzfATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES PTENT oFFicE.

OTIS A. I-IOLLIS, F KNOXVILLE BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS FOR ERECTING FORMS AND APPARATUS FOR CASTING CONCRETE WALLS.

'Application filed June 18 -1926. Serial No. 116,814.

In constructing walls and other structures of concrete or similarmaterial forms or matrices are employed to produce the desired thicknessand also the desired surface characteristics of the structure, and suchforms must be strong enough and rigid enough to produce the result inview, and must maintain their proper alinement until the material isfully set.

w The most commonly used method of erecting a form is to build the sameof lumber with its vertical sides anchored in place by braces. Thismethod is expensive owing to the first cost of the material, and labor 5charges for erecting and tearing down after use; and the lumber isusually fit only for kindling when the form is torn down.

Forms or matrices which are assembled of elements adapted for repeateduse have been designed, but the same have been expensive, and diflicultyhas been found in producing a sufficiently strong and rigid form in thismanner, and in obtaining and maintaining proper alinement.

The object which I have in view is the provision of a new and improvedprocessof erecting an inexpensive form or matrix for casting concretewalls and the like which will be sufficiently strong and rigid toproperly contain and sustain the concrete and cause it to be moldedaccurately to the pie determined thickness and surface contour.

In my novel process I arrange a plurality of pairs of spaced apartmatrix boards, each pair comprised of boards set on edge and parallelwith each other, and the pairs being erected in superimposed orlaterally abutting relation to each other to the desired height orlength of the matrix. I position stay members against the outer sidesand disposed transverse to and in overlapping relation with the matrixboards, overlapping a plurality of said boards to support the boards inposition from without. I secure the stay. members against outwardmovement by means of wire tie members whichare disposed transversely ofthe matrix between the edges of adjacent pairs of matrix boards, theprotruding ends of the tie members being looped and engaged by thestays. To hold the matrix boards of the pairs in proper spaced relation,I employ a wedging or 1 ifng action by introducing temporary strutsbetween the matrix boards which force the boards outwardly against thestays, such struts being removed as the concrete is about to engulf thesame.

The matrix produced by my process is of novel and advantageouscharacter.

I have also invented new and improved forms of wire tie members. 7

Other novel features of construction and also of arrangement of partswill appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings which are intended to illustrate theworking of my new process, Fig. 1 is a perspective showing a form ofmatrix, characterized by horizontally disposed matrix boards, forcasting a concrete wall; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same; Fig. 3 is aviewsimilar to Fig. 1 but showing a slightly different arrangement ofthe tie member and stays; Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the matrixboards arranged vertically and the stays horizontally; Fig. 5 is anenlarged view in plan of the preferred form of my improved wire tie;Fig. 6 is a similar view of the double-loop form of tie; Fig. 7 is aview similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modification, and Fig. 8 is anenlarged detail of the tie shown in Fig. 7.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the drawings, according to myprocess of erecting the form or matrix I arrange a plurality of pairs ofmatrix boards, in this case hori zontally disposed, and indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 1, substantially as shown in Figs. 1and 2, wherein I illustrate five pairs of matrix boards shown at 1 1 1"111; 1 1 and 1 l set on edge and the members of each pair being spacedapart when the matrix is assembled to the degree required to provide forthe desired thickness of 'co'ncretef To hold the matrix boards of thepairs against separation I provide the stays 2 disand the same may beheld in place by tie ne mbers3, the upper ends of the lowerstay membersor one set said members oven lapping the lower ends of the other orupper stay members. Or where multiple loopties,

such as shown at-3 are employed, the overlapping stay members have theiroverlapping ends engaging the diil erent loops of the tie member. Inmaking the wirestays the ends ef the Wire may be welded. as in dicatedat 3* or otherwise attached together;

In Fig. 3 l showthe stays doubled either set the matrix boards or onedge.

this lnfi ll s, Where the stays are lath,

' additional strength may he obtained.

Fig. 4 I show the matrix boards 1 vertically disposed While the staymembers are horizontally disposed. Thus the matrix for Wall may beextended in a horizontal dizect on to the. desired length of wall to beconstructed. 7

1 dredge the matrix boards outwardly against the stay members by meansof internalstruts l-fyvhich may conveniently be short lengths of Woodenplanks or sca-ntling and wh ch are driven snugly n place, thus placingthe matrix boards in compression against the stays and the tiesintension also against the stays. Thus the looped ends of the ties gripthe stays and: clamp them against the exterlor surface of the matrixboards While the matrix boards are simultaneously wedged outwardly aganstthe stays thestruts. The strut-s are removed as jthe matrix becomesfilled with concrete. Any uit b e ma ma m y be employe for the! stays,but prefer to use ooden members strips, and for this purpose I havefound ordinary ooden lat-h to be en- 'ftirely satisfactory.

staiitiaI Wooden inemberssnch as two-byfours b mp eyeda i The lath rother equivalent members of relatively/yielding material have a veryHowever, jrnore subpractical important advantage over metal rods or barsas stays, inasmuch as the tension imposed the ties the Wedging action ofthe struts causes the ties tobite slightly into the wooden stays, thusobtai'ning a very firm gripon the stays Which in turn are therebypressed tightly against the sides of the matrix boards.

The'frictional contactbetween the Wooden stays and the plurality ofmatrix boards "Wooden boards of relatively thin mate rial of inexpensivequality may be used as matrix boards. It is evident that the at-f e maybe ere ed t the ir d heigh or extent and the concrete poured to casttherein, or the matrix may be built up step by step as the concretestructure rises, the matrix boardsbeing removed from thelower conrsesafter the concrete has hardened and 'r ei' ected above.

The looped ends of the Wire ties which Sprotrnde from the surface of theconcrete after the matrix boards are removed are clipped oft snug upagainst the surface of the eoncrete and the bodies of the ties remainpermanently embedded in the concrete.

There lath or light ooden members are employed as stays the looped endsof the wire ties tend to bite deeply into the Wood o a gr a gree t an sn ce sary to fi m y hold 1 the matrix assembled and bite, occasionly, toan extent sufiicient to impair the strength of the stays in supportingthe ma-.

boards from Without.

Thus I find it advantageous to provide the looped ends of the Wire ties3 andi-B with means for broadening or extending their bearing surfaceson the stays, thus reducing the tendency of the ire to bite too deeplyinto the stays, but in no Wise impairing the efliciency of the gripwhich the ties have on the stays.

Thus in Figs. 7 and 8 I. show the Wire coiled in helical form at thelooped ends. A. s l n t et d 0f b n ng his r su t is to r e t of w lenghs f i 9-43 With their ends bent inwardly and twisted a t e nter, ashown fien th extremitiescoiled about each other to form the twinhelicesti. a

h my tend ng th se o l y process will be evident to those skilled in tho g to the manne o S IPPQ F i he matr b ards pl e y m y be re ly in W oen ar s of in xpensi q ality as they m y b sed. r peat dly. as they arenot injured in assembling'or disassemblin the matrix. The struts whichare remove as the concrete is filled up thereto in the matrix may alsobe used repeatedly and they may be short lengths of plank or boardusually considered as Waste. The wireties are inexpensive to make andare inanufac tured in a number of different sizes for differentthicknesses of wall structures. The lath of course are very inexpensive.

With these elements the matrix may be assembled by unskilled labor, asthe width of the matrix is determined by the length of the ties and thematrix boards. are automatically brought into and held in properposition and alinement by the introduction of the struts.

Where lumber forms are built as in the present more common practice,skilled carpenters must be employed and a high quality of lumber used asthe form must be carefully constructed in proper alinement and must bestrong and rigid enough to sustain the burden of the concrete withoutgiving. Thus lumber such as planks, scantling and beams must be out,fitted and nailed together. When the form is to be removed it is torn topieces and it is rarely true that much of the material is fit for reusein form building.

In taking down the matrix after the concrete has set, the wire ties arecut adjacent to the matrix boards, thus releasing the stays, and afterthe stays have been removed, the matrix boards may be stripped off, andthe protruding ends of the wires clipped off close up against thesurfaces of the concrete.

lVhen relatively light stays, such as wooden lath are employed I preferto double them to give additional strength and to insure properalinement of the matrix boards, by having the ends of the laths breakjoints, as shown in Fig. 4:. I obtain a very reliable stay member whichmay be extended indefinitely without loss of strength or alinement.

What I desire to claim is 1. For use for the purpose described a wiretie member having its ends pre-formed into loops to receive the stays,the portions of the loops bearing on the stays being provided withbroadened bearing surfaces to prevent excess biting into the stays.

2. For use for the purpose described a wire tie member having its endspre-formed into loops to receive the stays, the loops being wrapped withmetal to prevent excess biting into the stays.

3. For use for the purpose described a wire tie member having its endspreformed into loops to receive the stays, the loops being wrapped withwire to prevent excess biting into the stays.

4. A process for erecting a form or matrix for receiving concrete or thelike which consists in arranging a plurality of pairs of opposingparallel matrix boards, the pairs being positioned one after the other,positioning transverse supporting stays against the outer sides of saidboards with transversely disposed wire tie members lying between theopposing edges of the pairs of matrix boards and having looped endportions engaging said stays, said tie members being preformed toprovide a predetermined effective length, said stays overlapping aplurality of said matrix boards, and thereafter interposing strutsbetween the members of the pairs of matrix boards for the purpose ofproducing a wedging and spreading effect to force said matrix boardsoutwardly and to cause the looped ends of the ties to tightly grasp thestays and clamp the latter against the outer faces of the matrix boards,the effective length of the tie members determining the efi'ective widthof the form or matrix.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 7 day of June, 1926.

OTIS A. HOLLIS.

